Noli Me Tangere
Chapter 59
Summary & Analysis

LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Noli Me Tangere, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.

Colonialism, Religion, and Power

Revolution and Reform

Education

Isolation

Summary

Analysis

In parish houses around the Philippines, friars speak about the news of Ibarra’s supposed uprising, using it as an excuse to throw celebratory religious feasts. “Long live Salví!” they chant. Meanwhile, Captain Tinong laments the downfall of his friend Tiago, realizing that he must sever all association with the man because of Tiago’s affiliation with Ibarra. Similar conversations circulate throughout the high society, and it becomes clear that the Captain General has backed away from his good relationship with Ibarra.

Again, social affiliations prove tenuous and highly superficial in the Philippines, where priests, government officials, and the high society only associate with people who appear to be well-respected. Because everybody worries so much about their reputations—which translate to power—they are eager to sever their ties with the newly disgraced Ibarra, leaving the young man to his own devices in a system rigged against freethinkers like himself.